AFAIK the space marks the end of the command \o. Otherwise the system has no way to recognize where the end of a command is. That's also why it is gobbled and vanishes. Otherwise you would have difficulties writing words with an \o in the middle.
– Count ZeroAug 5 '14 at 19:20

Makes sense. I tried a second space... Thanks, and sorry for the dupe - I couldn´t find anything since I didn´t know what to look for.
– Paul PaulsenAug 5 '14 at 19:27

2

If you have access to the letter ø on your keyboard and use an appropriate input encoding, then just type the letter directly without using macros. Also remember to use a suitable font encoding.
– daleifAug 5 '14 at 19:28